Shirley Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Shirley last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
Order your pack and our heraldry team researches and paints the Shirley coat of arms for you.
Meaning and origin of the Shirley last name
Meaning of the Shirley last name: shire clearing. Shirley is an English surname from places called Shirley in Derbyshire, Hampshire and elsewhere, probably "the shire clearing", a meeting place of a district. The last name is old in the Midlands. Curiously, Shirley was mostly a man's name until Charlotte Brontë gave it to the heroine of her 1849 novel Shirley.
Arms associated with the Shirley name
Coats of arms associated with the Shirley last name belong to the English heraldic tradition, each with its own blazon.
Get your full Shirley family history
This is only a glimpse of the Shirley story. The full Shirley history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Shirley coat of arms. Get the full Shirley report.
Shirley name FAQ
What does the Shirley name mean?
Shire clearing. Common variants include Shirly, Sherley.
Where does the Shirley surname come from?
It originates in England, and is also found in Ireland, the United States and Australia.
Is there a Shirley coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Shirley coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: Reaney & Wilson, Dictionary of English Surnames; Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford).